Between Times
by Kahta
Summary: Between seasons 1 and 2, something had to happen! This is my version of that something.


Between Times- A Ronin Warriors Fic set between Seasons 1 and 2  
  
Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Ronin Warriors, am making no profit from this fiction, and am doing this purely for fun.  
  
  
  
  
  
They stood on the roof and watched the sun shine down on Toyama and smiled—to themselves and at each other. They'd done it. Unbelievably, eight of them against impossible odds, joining forces to defeat Talpa and his army. They stood there, all of them tired but at the same time exultant, and knowing from the companionable silence that they all felt exactly the same way.  
  
Reluctant to interrupt this happy moment, Mia knew nevertheless that it had to end. Clearing her throat, she got the attention of the two Ronins nearest her. "As much as I hate to break this up, we should go. You guys don't exactly blend, and we should probably find Ryo a bed. He's half asleep already."  
  
Rowen and Sage looked down at their armor clad forms and grinned, realizing just how odd they'd look to the general population of Toyoma, then glanced over at Ryo. Now that the adrenalin rush from the battle was ebbing, his energy was clearly fading. Cye and Kento were holding his upright, but he was obviously falling asleep.  
  
Noticing the gazes of their two teammates, Cye and Kento exchanged amused glances over the head of their slumping friend. Noticing Ryo's eyes losing their battle to stay open, Kento shifted his position so Ryo's head was on his shoulder, and Cye moved closer, bracing Ryo's body a bit more firmly between them.  
  
"My jeep is just down the street…it should work now that everything is back to normal. Can you two get everyone downstairs while I move it?" Mia asked, drawing their attention back to the original conversation.  
  
"Sure Mia, we'll get everyone organized and meet you downstairs in a few," Rowen drawled.  
  
"Okay, I'll take Yuli with me." Grabbing his hand, Mia pulled the struggling eight year old with her. None of the boys could hear exactly what he said in protest, but the words "Blaze" and "guys" figured prominently in what they could overhear. Mia stopped to whisper something to him, and whatever she said worked because the boy brightened visibly and was now pulling her hand to move her faster.  
  
Rowen and Sage moved over the stand in front of their teammates. "Mia thinks we should get moving, and I agree," Sage started.  
  
"Fine, but where are we going?" Kento protested, then flushed, realizing he'd assumed they'd all stay together. Maybe the other Ronins had different plans?  
  
"Well," said Cye, speaking aloud Kentos' thoughts, "I think we should stay together for now. Just in case….well, just in case."  
  
"Agreed." Sage knew without it being said that none of them were ready to separate just yet. That final battle had come a little too close to being lost. "But Kento has a point, where are we going? My house is too crowded, too many little sisters running around though they'd probably love you guys."  
  
"My place is out. Seven of us, and a tiger, in a two-bedroom apartment? We'd finish the job Talpa started and kill each other within a day!" Rowen's comment inspired laughter in the boys—all except Ryo, who was now so deeply asleep he'd have slid to the ground without Kento and Cye's support.  
  
"Well, my house is like Sage's, way too crowded to add this bunch to the mix." Kento said.  
  
"Anyone know where Ryo lives?" Cye questioned. When everyone shook their heads no, Cye continued hesitantly. "Maybe Mia knows. Otherwise we'll have to go to my house, and my Mom will freak!"  
  
"Don't worry, we'll figure something out. Let's go downstairs, Mia is almost here. Kento, can you…" But before Rowen could finish what he'd been about to say, Kento bent and shifted Ryo into his arms. He turned and moved toward the stairs, the other Ronins and WhiteBlaze following closely behind him.  
  
"Are we ready?" Mia called when they exited the building at street level.  
  
"Um…kinda." Cye replied, starting to get a little freaked out at the thought of explaining WhiteBlaze. "Do you know where Ryo lives?" he asked hopefully, crossing his fingers behind his back.  
  
"No, it never came up. Why, are you guys…" she paused, surprise and disappointment etched on her face. "You're splitting up? I thought…"  
  
"No, we're staying together, Mia. All of us." Kento emphasized, looking from Yuli to Mia. "We're just not sure where to go. Cye's is our best bet, and he's pretty sure we'll upset his mom."  
  
"Well, don't worry about it then. We'll go to my gran…my house," she said, hoping her slip of the tongue wasn't noticed.  
  
"We'll all fit?" Cye asked worriedly.  
  
"It shouldn't be a problem. It's a huge house outside the city, lots of room inside and a huge yard. It hasn't been used in years, my grandfather and I moved to the city for convenience. Does it sound all right?" Mia finished.  
  
"Perfect," Cye answered, his relief plain on his face. "That okay with everyone else?"  
  
Everyone nodded but kept quiet, waiting. After a moment, Rowen realized what they were doing and spoke up. "It does sound perfect, Mia. Shall we get going?"  
  
The boys exchanged amused glances as they realized they'd been waiting for Ryo to speak up. Mildly embarrassed, they moved to organize themselves.  
  
"White Blaze?" asked Mia, kneeling next to the tiger. "Would you do us a favor by carrying Yuli and one of the boys? I think Ryo should sleep in the car."  
  
White Blaze nodded his head and moved closer to Yuli, who was so excited he was bouncing. After some creative arranging, Rowen, Cye and Sage seated themselves in the back of the jeep, with Ryo and Mia in the front. Kento, Yuli and WhiteBlaze followed them out of the city.  
  
------------30 minutes later-----------  
  
"Wow!"  
  
"You've got to be kidding!"  
  
"This is your home??"  
  
"WOW!!!"  
  
It was funny, really, the boys (minus the still sound-asleep Ryo) standing in the driveway completely gaping at the house. Obviously none of them had imagined something of this scale when Mia had offered them a place to stay.  
  
"It's home," Mia stated simply. "The apartment in the city was just a place to stay, but this," and she paused to take a deep breath of the fresh air, "has always been home."  
  
"You didn't live here alone, did you?" Kento asked, oblivious to the looks the other boys shot him.  
  
"No. This was my grandfathers' house. After you all disappeared, Ryo and I went to him for help tracking you down. He was possessed by a Nether Spirit, and Ryo was forced to…well, Ryo freed him." Finishing, she gestured for the boys to follow her into the house. Kento gently extricated Ryo from the jeep and carried his sleeping friend in after everyone. White Blaze, as always, followed behind with the still clinging Yuli atop him.  
  
"Where can I put Ryo, Mia? He's not heavy, but I keep thinking I'm going to whack his head on a doorway or something by accident," Kento asked quietly, fearful of waking Ryo.  
  
"Put him on the couch for now, I doubt any of the rooms are made up." She answered, absently surveying the living room. Her mind was obviously focused elsewhere, her tone absent.  
  
"Okay, I can think of a pretty long list of things we're going to need. Kento, Cye, I'd like you two to dig through the pantry, see what's already there and make a list of what's needed. Sage, could you air out the rooms and make sure everything works? Electricity, plumbing, all that? Rowen, you come with me, we'll get the bedrooms habitable." At everyone's nod, they turned in different directions toward their assigned chores, halting only when a plaintive "Mia?" grabbed their attention.  
  
The quickly separating teens turned back to see Yuli standing forlornly at one end of the couch, White Blaze hovering protectively between him and Ryo.  
  
"Oh, Yuli, I'm sorry!" Mia apologized, coming back down the stairs she'd just started up. "We should try calling your house. You know your number, right?" Yuli nodded and walked with Mia to the phone. He picked it up out of the cradle and dialed, flashing a quick smile at the boys as they settled into seats around the room. A quick glance confirmed that they all felt the same-Yuli was a member of their group and they'd stand by him now, no matter what.  
  
"It's ringing," he reported, waiting with an expectant look on his face. After a few moments his face fell and he hung up the phone. "Our answering machine picked up. They're…not home."  
  
Everyone was silent for a moment while Yuli swiped at his suspiciously bright eyes with his shirtsleeve. Mia broke the awkward silence, rushing in with "I'm sure they're just not home yet, Yuli."  
  
"Or maybe they're out looking for you!" Kento chimed in.  
  
Yuli looked up again, his expression brightening. "You really think so?"  
  
"I'm sure of it, Yuli. How about we try calling back in an hour?" Mia answered.  
  
"And in the meantime, you can help me check out all the rooms," Sage added. "It's too big a job for just one person."  
  
"Okay," Yuli agreed. He turned and looked seriously at White Blaze. "Blaze, you'll watch Ryo? And come get us if he wakes up or needs anything?"  
  
White Blaze twitched his head, effectively nodding yes, but only Mia and Yuli noticed; The Ronins were looking worriedly at their sleeping friend, who hadn't even twitched since being placed on the couch.  
  
"He's okay, isn't he Mia? It's weird seeing him so still…" Kento trailed off. Sage moved to the couch and knelt, waiting for Mia's answer but wanting to check on Ryo himself. Reaching out to his friend, he found bruises and scrapes, perhaps more than the other Ronins had earned, but nothing serious. Besides that, plain ordinary weariness.  
  
"Sage?" Mia called his name softly, not wanting to startle him by jerking him mentally back to them.  
  
"He's all right," Sage answered, drawing back a bit from Ryo. "Scratched, bruised, sore and, forgive the poor choice of words, dead tired."  
  
The remaining three Ronins sighed in relief. Trying to relive some of their anxiety, Mia spoke up.  
  
"I'm not surprised," she said. "That fight with Talpa was tough-he really got the crap beaten out of him-and he didn't have much time to adjust to his new armor."  
  
"New armor?!" four voices cried in unison. The Ronins looked at each other in surprise, then back at Ryo's sleeping form.  
  
"I think," Sage said slowly, turning back to Mia and Yuli, "that after we get everything around here in order, we need to find out what happened after Talpa…absorbed us."  
  
Mia nodded, noticing how all the boys had shuddered at Sages' words. "Of course. We should go over everything so we're all on the same page. For now though, let's get busy." And they separated, each toward their own task, leaving behind one watchful tiger and one fast asleep warrior of fire.  
  
  
  
Kento and Cye finished their inventory fairly quickly – what food was in the cupboards would feed them for a day or two, but they'd need to re- supply son and probably often. Stepping easily over White Blaze, they settled easily on the floor against the couch. Sitting comfortably shoulder-to-shoulder, they gave identical sighs of relief, and then grinned at each other when they heard what they'd both done.  
  
"I don't know about you, but I'm feeling pretty damned lucky right now," Kento said, glancing sideways at Cye before dropping his head back against the couch.  
  
"Lucky?" Cye questioned. "Yes, I know what you mean. I never thought it could feel so good just to sit here. I can barely believe we all survived."  
  
"Yeah." Kento gave a quick snort of laughter, though he obviously was dead serious. "Damned lucky."  
  
They sat quietly for a time, each lost in their own thoughts, until Cye restarted the conversation.  
  
"We're quite a team, aren't we?" At Kento's emphatic nod, he continued, hesitantly. "I'm glad we didn't split up." He looked shyly at Kento, unsure if the biggest Ronin would understand…he needn't have worried.  
  
"I know. It's one thing to know each other at school, but this is a world away from that. It's…well, everything good about being a team. Unity, I guess," Kento replied.  
  
"Yes, exactly." Cye agreed. He grinned slyly. "That's pretty deep, Kento, are you feeling all right?" The giggles he tried valiantly to contain at Kentos' resulting expression finally came out, loudly, when Kento tackled him and tickled him mercilessly in retaliation.  
  
  
  
"Kento and Cye are done," Yuli announced as he followed Sage into their next room to check.  
  
"How can you tell?" Sage asked, looking over his shoulder at Yuli as he pried up a long unopened window. His question was rendered moot when a second peal of laughter was heard, followed closely by a "I take it b..b..back, I swear!" from Cye. Kentos' "HA!" was heard clearly as was Cye again dissolving into giggles. Sage grinned at Yuli, then nodded his agreement.  
  
"Yes, they're done!" Sage turned back to close the window, then went on inspecting everything in the room.  
  
"Sage?"  
  
"Yes, Yuli?"  
  
"Do you really think my parents are okay?" As Sage focused entirely on him, Yuli continued. "I mean, really? I know not everyone made it out of the Dynasty."  
  
Seeing how serious Yuli was-a total change from his normal happy-go- lucky attitude- Sage bit back his automatic 'of course' and looked at Yuli, really looked at him. Something in his eyes – and if questioned, he'd never have been able to describe what it was – made him answer honestly.  
  
"I don't know, Yuli. I hope so, I really hope so, but we know there were people who didn't make it out of the Nether Realm. The chances are in their favor that they made it, but we won't know for sure until we get a hold of them. But you know that no matter what, you've got us, right? If you find your parents, we'll visit, or have you visit us. If not, do you have relatives you want to go to? Or would you rather stay with us?"  
  
"If…" here Yuli paused, then squared his shoulders resolutely, "if we can't find my parents, I'd rather stay with you guys. If you stay together, I mean. If you don't, maybe I could stay with Ryo? White Blaze likes me!"  
  
"Relax, Yuli." Sage reached over and shook the younger boy gently, halting his words. "I haven't spoken to the guys about it, but I hope we'll be staying together. Here, until Mia gets sick of us, which," he paused and smiled, hearing Cyes' laughter and Kentos' rumbled threats from below, "will probably be pretty soon!" He smiled at Yuli who hesitantly returned the smile.  
  
"Well, I can't speak for Kento, Cye and Ryo, but I think staying together sounds good," drawled a voice from the doorway. Turning toward the speaker in the doorway, Sage and Yuli greeted Rowen.  
  
"Yuli, Mia and I set up the last room on the right for you. Check it out, and then would you go check on Ryo and White Blaze for us?"  
  
"Sure Rowen, and thanks!" Yuli hollered as he ran past Rowen, skidding slightly when he turned to go down the hall.  
  
"How long were you standing there?" Sage asked.  
  
"Since Yuli asked about his parents," Rowen answered.  
  
"And it didn't occur to you to enter the discussion?" A hint of exasperation entered his voice.  
  
"Nah, you were doing just fine. Yuli knows you won't bulls..um, sugarcoat the situation for him. He needed that; ya did good, Sage."  
  
Sage nodded his acceptance of the compliment, then looked inquiringly at Rowen. "Did you agree with everything I told him?"  
  
Rowen knew instantly what Sage was referring to. "Ya mean the part about us all staying together?" Sage nodded again. "Like I said, I agree. After all we've been through, it's hard to picture myself at home. Not to mention how quiet it would be without everyone."  
  
"We need to talk to Cye and Kento about this, and Ryo when he wakes up, see if they all feel the same."  
  
"So let's go ask. I'm sure Cye would appreciate being rescued from the tickle fight."  
  
"Ha! With Kento, the best you can hope for is a temporary cease fire!" And laughing, the two boys left the room and went downstairs to rejoin their friends.  
  
  
  
After finishing making up rooms, Mia had gone down the back stairs to the kitchen, easily finding the shopping list Kento and Cye had compiled. Glancing at it, she sighed – it was long, and she wasn't sure she had the energy to grocery shop today. And she couldn't send one of the boys – they were the ones who'd actually fought the battle! They were, in all likelihood, tired on a much greater scale than she was!  
  
Cye and Kentos' shouts of laughter had faded to a dull background noise, but it appeared another participant had joined the fray. Yuli announced his entrance with a loud "Yahhhhh!" Amused, Mia poked her head around the corner and couldn't resist a grin at what she saw. Kento was on his hands and knees tickling Cye, who in turn was rolling helplessly on the floor, laughing too hard to get away. Yuli had apparently decided Cye needed help, so he'd jumped on Kentos' back (a-la a piggy back ride) and was tickling Kento as best he could. Rowen and Sage were sitting on the stairs laughing at the spectacle their friends were making of themselves, while Ryo slept through it all on the nearby sofa. Oh, this was just too fun…Mia moved into the living room, joining Sage and Rowen on the stairs. She'd worry about food and groceries later.  
  
"It's nice, isn't it?" Sage asked her softly.  
  
"What is?" Mia, grinning at the wrestlers on the floor, was startled out of her reverie by Sages' question.  
  
"Relaxing. Being able to do it, and watching everyone else do it at the same time," Sage replied.  
  
"Both," Mia grinned. "But it's also nice for me to be home and hearing noise, laughter. This house was so quiet the year before we moved to the city, but this is more how I remember home."  
  
"Glad to oblige, Mia!" Rowen said cheerfully.  
  
"I kinda figured from your grins…but I digress. I was going to start on dinner, are you guys getting hungry yet?"  
  
'Starved!" was the instantaneous response from both boys, earning each a startled glance from the other.  
  
"Well in that case, I'll get started. Make sure those three," and she gestured toward the wrestlers on the floor, "don't get too out of hand." And she went back into the kitchen, pausing briefly to lay a hand on Ryo's head and check him. He still slept soundly, though he would periodically turn restlessly. She smoothed his hair back from his forehead, smiling when he stilled at her touch.  
  
'Rest now, Ryo. Just relax, you deserve a break.' And she moved into the kitchen, smiling.  
  
'They all fit together so well, it's wonderful to see everyone relaxing,' she thought. 'I wonder how long they'll want to stay here? I don't want to pressure any of them to stay, but I like having them here. I couldn't stand it here along, but having all of them helps.' She rummaged in the cupboards and pantry, quickly throwing together a meal.  
  
"Guys! Dinner!"  
  
Kento, Cye and Yuli arrived in the kitchen at a near run, Kento with a glad shout of "FOOD!" Cye went immediately toward Mia, relieving her of some of the covered dishes she carried.  
  
"You should've told me you'd started dinner, Mia, I'd have come and helped," he said as Kento and Yuli seated themselves at the table.  
  
"Okay then, Cye, if you could grab the glasses and pitcher on the counter?" She paused, then looked toward the door to the living room. "Where are Rowen and Sage?"  
  
"Trying to wake Ryo up. We thought he should eat something," Kento answered.  
  
Yuli giggled. "White Blaze didn't seem to appreciate them trying to wake him up. Rowen was trying to explain to him whey they were shaking Ryo."  
  
Kento smothered a grin, adding a cheerful "Better them than me!"  
  
The conversation stopped as Rowen entered the dining room, followed closely by White Blaze.  
  
"Well, he's up, but don't expect any witty conversation from him. He's a bit out of it," Rowen announced.  
  
"Groggy?" Cye questioned.  
  
"Beyond that!" Rowen grinned. "You'll see." He turned as Sage and Ryo made their grand entrance. Sage had one of Ryos' arms pulled around his shoulders for support, while Ryo leaned heavily against him. His head was resting on Sages' shoulder, his eyes the barest slits.  
  
"Ryo?" Mia moved around the table, stopping to pull out an empty chair that she gestured the boys toward. "How're you feeling?"  
  
Ryo stared at her blankly, then at the chair he was standing in front of. His expression clearly indicated that he knew something was expected of him, but he couldn't for the life of him think what everyone wanted him to do.  
  
"Ryo, sit," Sage said, helping the muddled boy scoot his chair closer to the table. "Don't worry, he'll wake up a bit when we get some food in him," he said to the rest of the group.  
  
"In that case, eat up. After we're done, we'll talk everything out, figure out what we're doing, if that's okay?" Mia asked.  
  
Five variations of yes, and one mumbled something that sounded vaguely like casserole from Ryo answered Mia. Everyone looked at him oddly for a moment before realizing he'd finally noticed what was on the plate in front of him.  
  
"Can I try calling my house again after dinner, Mia?"  
  
"Of course you can, Yuli. You don't need to ask permission, try anytime you want until we get ahold of your parents, okay?" Mia answered.  
  
Dinner was a lively affair. The boys were in high spirits, still at times almost unable to believe their good fortune. Mia and Yuli joined in the teasing and laughter, happy for themselves and their friends. If at times Yuli fell silent, no one said anything if they noticed.  
  
At the end of the meal, Cye and Kento insisted on doing the dishes ("Just rinse them and throw them in the dishwasher, it washes heavy loads" from Mia) while Yuli and Sage volunteered to clear the table. Mia and Rowen pulled Ryo to his feet, pausing at the door when he mumbled.  
  
"What, Ryo?" Mia asked.  
  
"Blaze. I gotta feed 'im," Ryo spoke so softly they almost missed what he said, but they figured it out when Ryo moved toward the tiger.  
  
"Oh, no, Ryo, it's okay, we'll make sure he's fed." Rowens' words of assurance didn't seem to penetrate the haze around Ryos' brain. Noticing his person moving toward him, White Blaze rose from his place near the wall and met Ryo halfway. Reaching the sleeping boy, the tiger gently bumped his body against Ryo's leg, then nuzzled at his hand and purred. Ryo nodded in agreement, then turned and went quietly with Rowen and Mia, both of who had been watching in amazement.  
  
"I knew White Blaze wasn't an ordinary tiger, but sheesh!" Rowen said softly to Mia as they settled Ryo back on the couch.  
  
Mia nodded in understanding. "When Ryo wakes up more, we'll have to ask him about that."  
  
"Definitely. But now I think you owe us all a story," Rowen said, sending a pleading look toward Mia.  
  
"Not until the others are here, Rowen, but nice try." She grinned, and they both settled down to wait.  
  
After the boys finished cleaning up the remains of dinner, they settled themselves in the living room. Yuli tried his house again, and was disappointed if not surprised when no one again, and was disappointed if not surprised when no one answered. He obviously blinked back tears as he hung up the phone, scrubbing the back of his hand against his eyes, hoping none of the older boys noticed the quaver in his voice when he left a message on the machine. Knowing the boys were anxious to hear Mia tell about the final battle, he moved to the couch and snuggled up against Ryo. Something about the older boy made him feel safe, and he needed that right now.  
  
"Aw, how cute!" Kentos' grin belied the sarcasm of his words as he and Rowen snickered.  
  
"Quit it, Kento, I want to hear Mia now, not you," Cyes' gentle rebuke silenced both boys, as everyone turned expectantly toward Mia.  
  
"Okay, keep in mind that I can't fill in everything…we'd need Ryo to be awake for that. But I can give some of the details. Stop me if you have any questions." When the boys nodded, she continued. "After you four disappeared…"  
  
  
  
Mia's story lasted perhaps half an hour; finishing, she looked down at her hands, remembering how scared she and Yuli had been when Ryo had disappeared. Noticing her hands were shaking, she clasped them tightly together, then stated violently when Cye sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"I'm sorry you had to go through all this, Mia. It must have been terrifying."  
  
"It was, Cye. But we all survived, and you guys beat Talpa." She paused, then looked closely at the boys, noting the fading tension in the faces and posture. She had to ask. "Were you…Do you remember anything from after Talpa absorbed you?"  
  
As one, they stiffened – almost imperceptibly, but she was watching them closely. They relaxed when Rowen spoke.  
  
"After he took us…well, me at least…I was drifting. Floating in nothing, really, and even though I knew something was wrong, I couldn't do anything about it. But when Talpa used my sure-kill, it woke me up and I was aware of everything, the battle and the other guys. And I couldn't stop him from using my powers, and I tried, but then we could talk and we froe him in place." He frowned then.  
  
"Ryo should have taken the shot," Kento said. Seeing everyone's' expressions, knowing it sounded like he was criticizing Ryo, Kento clarified. "Well, he should've, he didn't know he'd get another chance at it. But I don't know that I'd have been able to either. Probably not." Kento looked a bit embarrassed at his confession, but the other boys nodded at him. To take out four teammates, four friends, to defeat an enemy? Thinking about it now, even knowing they'd had to try, they still couldn't quite believe what they'd asked Ryo to do.  
  
"So now what do we do?" Mia asked, breaking the somber mood before it could really grab ahold of them all.  
  
"Well, I think Ryo and Yuli are out for the night," Cye answered, looking at the pair and smiling. During Mia's tale, Yuli had fallen asleep sprawled atop Ryo and the two of them were quiet dead to the world.  
  
"That's not what she meant, Cye," Sages' quiet voice brought them all back to the conversation at hand.  
  
"I know Sage. I was just…" he stopped, not knowing how to say what he was feeling.  
  
"I understand completely, Cye. We all do, I think," Sage said.  
  
"Well, I don't want to split up, if that's what you mean!" Kento burst out.  
  
"Me neither!" Chorused Rowen and Cye.  
  
"I'd like us to stay together as well," Sage added. "But we need to work out the details before we present the idea to our parents, whom we still need to call."  
  
"We need to wake Ryo up then, if we're working this out," said Cye.  
  
"Why don't you guys go take turns with the phone, and I'll put Yuli to bed and wake Ryo? Just tell your parents you're spending the night at a friends house for now," Mia suggested.  
  
"Good plan, Mia," Rowen approved, following Cye and Sage into the kitchen.  
  
"D'you need any help Mia?" Kento's question surprised Mia as she pulled Yuli off Ryo and started toward the stairs.  
  
"Nah, I got him Kento, thanks. You could wake Ryo up if you don't want to fight the others for the phone."  
  
"Sure, Mia. He'll be wide awake by the time you get back down here."  
  
"Thanks Kento." And Mia went quietly upstairs.  
  
Kento turned and looked at the unofficial Ronin leader and grinned. It was so rare to see Ryo still that in an odd way it was freaking Kento out. Normally even when he sat, Ryo moved, be it in unconscious fidgeting or twitching. It wasn't that he wanted Ryo to sleep restlessly, but a toss or turn here or there couldn't hurt, could it? Shaking his head at his own contradictory train of thought, he moved toward the couch just as Ryo sat bolt upright with a hoarse shout.  
  
"Ryo?" Kento moved quickly to sit next to his friend, who in turn was staring blankly at the cold fireplace in front of him.  
  
"I won't…I can't, please don't!" Ryo babbled, batting away Kentos' hand when he reached out to comfort his friend. "I won't give in, let them go!"  
  
Was Ryo dreaming about the final battle, Kento wondered? It didn't really matter, it was a nightmare obviously, and Ryo's blank stare was unnerving – he was completely oblivious to Kentos presence.  
  
"Ryo, it's okay, wake up, it's just a nightmare!" And Kento shook him gently, relaxing when Ryo turned dazed but aware blue eyes to him.  
  
"Kento?" Unsure this was real, he reaching a trembling hand to Kentos shoulder, sagging with relief when his hand connected with solid muscle.  
  
"Bad one, huh?" At Ryo's jerky nod, he pressed on. "Want to talk about it?"  
  
"It was…this all turned out to be a dream. Us surviving, I mean. Talpa was playing with me, letting me think this was reality, when in fact I'd given in. I didn't keep fighting at the last minute, and we…I…failed. And this was all a trick." He shuddered.  
  
"It's okay, Ryo, you beat him." Seeing his friend was still shivering, he draped an arm around Ryo's shoulders.  
  
"No, Kento," he shook his head. "I didn't beat him, we did."  
  
Kento laughed softly. "I'll take credit for helping you get there, but you're the one who took Talpa out, Ryo."  
  
"I couldn't have without the Inferno Armor, and that took all of us." Wearing out, Ryo leaned heavily against Kento, who in turn bit back further questions upon seeing how tired his friend still was. Instead, he moved toward his original goal.  
  
"Everyone'll be back in a minute, we're gonna talk about what we do next."  
  
Ryo moved his head to his friends' shoulder and felt Kento shift to accommodate the extra pressure. "Where'd they go?"  
  
"The guys are calling their parents, and Mia's putting Yuli to bed. Wanna see if they'd done with the phone?"  
  
"No, thanks though Kento."  
  
"Your parents won't worry?"  
  
"I don't…" It was still awkward, this subject. "It's just White Blaze and I, Kento."  
  
"Oh." 'Great!' Kento thought. 'Open mouth, insert foot!' "I'm sorry, Ryo." A million questions popped into his head, but he closed his mouth with an almost audible snap.  
  
"Kento, it's okay. It happened a long time ago. I've just never found a good way to say it, you know?"  
  
"No," Kento answered instantly. "I've never had to say anything like that, but I don't think there's any good way to say something like that." How he'd managed it, Kento would never know, but he somehow put just the right tones in his voice – sympathy, understanding, friendship and most importantly, no pity.  
  
"Exactly," sighed Ryo. He was so tired, he hadn't felt this weak since his last bout with the stomach flu! But he couldn't go back to sleep, not until – "What exactly are we discussing?"  
  
"Oh, um, yeah. We…we guys, that is, were thinking that we'd stay together. Somewhere." He shrugged, almost dislodging Ryo's head.  
  
"That sounds nice, Kento. Everyone wants to?" Ryo questioned, his words slurring a bit.  
  
"Yes, everyone wants to." The answer startled Kento, who'd just opened his mouth when Mia spoke from the stairs. "Kento, go make your call and get the guys so we can settle this and put sleepy here to bed."  
  
"Sure, Mia, keep him awake!" And Kento gently shifted Ryo to lean on Mia before racing into the kitchen.  
  
"You okay, Ryo?" she questioned.  
  
"Yeah, just tired," he answered.  
  
"Just a little longer, and then you can sleep for a week," Mia joked.  
  
"I like Mia's plans," Rowen laughed, leading the boys back to the living room. "Sleeping for a week sounds great."  
  
Ryo's tired 'yeah' evoked laughter from everyone as they resettled themselves. Sage claimed the armchair, Kento and Cye settled on the small couch, and Rowen sat on the couch on Ryo's other side. Everyone sat quietly, unspeaking, until Rowen gently nudged Ryo.  
  
"What? What're you elbowing me, Rowen? Is that your subtle way of getting me to speak first?" Ryo grumbled, irritated. He'd almost fallen asleep again.  
  
"Well, that too, but you were about to fall asleep, I saw your eyes close, so stay awake and talk!" Rowen jokingly ordered.  
  
"Yes sir!" Ryo quipped. He thought about snapping a salute, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. "Kento filled me in, we're going to stay together?" The boys nodded in answer. "All right, then, how're we gonna do this? Assuming no ones' family forbids this, we'll need a place to stay."  
  
"You can stay here," Mia said quickly, causing everyone to turn their attention to her in surprise. Truth be told, none of the boys expected her to say much in this conversation, unless she was giving them a time limit to find a new place to stay.  
  
"Are you sure, Mia? All of us?" Cye couldn't believe Mia's offer – none of the boys could.  
  
"Yes, have you thought this all the way through? I think all of us together are going to be quite a handful," Sage added. Personally he thought the idea of living at Mia's an ideal solution, but he didn't want her to later regret her decision.  
  
"I'm sure guys. I thought this through earlier, when we were organizing. The house feels alive again, but even more than that, I feel like we belong together. All of us…does that make any sense?" The boys all nodded again, and she continued. "I think you should each go to your parents and explain you all want to live here. Did you all go to Han'a High?" Again they nodded. "Good, that's our district, you won't have to transfer. Feel free to bring your parents up here if they want to see where you'll be living." She paused, then looked at the boys uncertainly. "Do you think they'll have problems with this?"  
  
"Are you kidding?" Kento joked. "My parents'll be thrilled to get rid of a kid – there's six of us at home!" Everyone laughed.  
  
"I think even if they do have problems with the idea, we'll win them over. We've proven rather adept at beating the odds," Sage said, answering the question Kento's joke hadn't quite.  
  
"If that's settled, I'll be going into town tomorrow for groceries, I'll drop you all at your homes? Call later to be picked up?" Mia asked.  
  
"Nah, I can bring everyone back Mia, in the afternoon. When you guys are done, meet at my family's restaurant."  
  
"Great! I'm glad this is settled." Mia started.  
  
"Almost, Mia, but not quite," Ryo spoke. "I know I slept through the calls, but since he was here earlier, I assume Yuli couldn't get a hold of his parents?"  
  
"Oh…no, we couldn't." Her tone sobered at the remembrance of the possibly orphaned younger upstairs. "To be honest, I don't know what to do…but if we can't find his parents, he'll stay with us."  
  
"Then you're right, everything is settled." Ryo relaxed, knowing that Yuli would be taken care of.  
  
"In that case, you're going to bed," Rowen told him, and before he could open his mouth to protest, Ryo was pulled to his feet. Plodding slowly upstairs between Sage and Rowen, White Blaze behind the trio, Ryo was put to bed. Even as he fell asleep, he was thinking of this new living situation; it was entirely possible that they'd kill each other before the first week was out, but somehow he knew everything was going to work out perfectly.  
  
And with that happy thought, he fell asleep. And mostly stayed that way for a week!  
  
  
  
I love RW. Am quite obsessed with it really. But periodically there were gaping plot holes, like how they got from the end of Season 1 to the beginning to Season 2. Jumps like that bug me. So this is meant to explain what happened between those episodes. Hope you like it. 


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